Spain Faces Rising Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance Amid Aging Population
Spain is at high risk from antimicrobial resistance due to its aging population, with experts calling for stronger regulations, vaccination, and biotech innovation to combat this growing health crisis.
- • AMR could increase deaths globally by 70% by 2050, with Spain heavily impacted.
- • Spain's aging population drives high antibiotic use and vulnerability to resistant infections.
- • 4,000 deaths annually in Spain are currently linked to AMR, amid a global toll of 4.7 million.
- • Experts stress vaccination, regulatory reforms, and biotech innovation as key to combating AMR.
Key details
Experts warn that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a severe and growing threat in Spain, potentially causing a 70% increase in global deaths by 2050, with Spain among the most affected nations. Bruno González-Zorn, head of the Antimicrobial Resistance Unit at Complutense University, highlighted Spain's demographic vulnerability due to having the highest life expectancy in Europe and a large elderly population with multiple health conditions, which leads to more frequent antibiotic use in hospitals. The country currently faces approximately 4,000 annual deaths attributed to AMR, part of a global toll of 4.7 million, as noted by Ion Arocena, director general of AseBio. Without intervention, deaths worldwide could escalate to 39 million by 2050.
The World Health Organization has reported a continuous rise in resistant infections, primarily from multi-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Conference experts underscored vaccination as a crucial preventive tool to reduce infections and limit antibiotic use, supported by biotechnological advances. Nonetheless, challenges remain in vaccine development and implementation, requiring enhanced collaboration between research, industry, and health systems. González-Zorn advocated for a regulatory framework that recognizes antibiotics as critical health infrastructure and proposed incentive models to stimulate innovation. The importance of integrated surveillance networks and sustained investment in new antimicrobial agents and biotechnology was also emphasized to effectively tackle AMR threats now and in the future. The conference concluded with calls for greater awareness and innovative biotechnological solutions to this pressing public health issue in Spain and beyond.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.